WPS ramps up AI non-emergency call response system

Non-emergency phone calls to Winnipeg police are soon more likely to be answered by an artificial intelligence voice agent.

A pilot project testing the new technology began nearly a year ago, but initially answered calls just a few hours per week. Beginning Monday, that will increase to a few hours per day.

Insp. Gord Spado said WPS hopes to ramp up the AI service again in a couple of weeks and, if it continues to work well, eventually offer it 24 hours a day to help address high call volumes and reduce wait times.

“Our non-emergency line received about 172,000 calls to date this year. That’s about 900 a day. That doesn’t include the 911 calls that we receive,” said Spado.

“We really want to try to divert as many non-emergency calls as we can while still providing a quality customer service. And that frees up our call-takers to handle the actual emergent calls.”

Spado urged those callers to speak in clear, full sentences, limit background conversations and wait for AI prompts to be completed before replying to help the system provide fast, accurate results.

WPS had previously said the pilot project was initially expected to be fully implemented by June. However, it was delayed after initial tests yielded disappointing results, including missed words and slow responsiveness, which led many calls to be forwarded to human call-takers.

At the time, police said a more recent test had produced much better results, with 58 of 60 calls handled entirely by AI.

Police have noted the AI system will not take 911 calls, which will continue to be directed to a human operator.

The system is expected to help reduce staff workload but not the number of staff taking police calls, said Spado. “We’ve got so much demand for staff right now, we’re actually recruiting more. There’s no intention to reduce staffing right now.”

The AI system would replace WPS’s current voice-response program for non-emergency calls, which prompts callers to press buttons to help direct their inquiries. The new automated, more conversational system will be able to ask and respond to questions instead.

The project is one of six AI-driven pilot projects the City of Winnipeg started in 2024.

“This is about delivering good customer service to the people of Winnipeg and making a heavy workload a little more manageable for front-line staff,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

The system is currently limited to English, but it is possible to expand to other languages, said Spado.

Police hope to decide if the pilot project will become permanent by the end of this year.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga